HOMEROOM: The Youth Of A Nation

The start of your senior year of high school is both euphoric and bittersweet, the finality of the final months of it both the beginning of the end and the dawn of the future. The stress of finals, college applications, SATs, and finding the perfect prom attire is enough to fill any senior’s year. For the students at Oakland High School in California, the graduating class of 2020 found themselves in the middle of history, the fight for their education theirs to bear, a global pandemic uprooting the anticipated traditions of the year, and a cry for justice giving a new meaning for the future. Their senior year was anything but normal.

Homeroom, from director Peter Nicks, follows select members of Oakland’s graduating class of 2020 as they balance the shifting tones from children to adults. There was no way for Nicks to know what the future would hold when he started filming on the first day of school in 2019, but what he captured with Homeroom is the budding heart of a community, the unrelenting resilience of youth, and the undeniable makings of history.

Class is in Session

There is an overwhelming sense of curiosity and dread as Homeroom opens on the first day of school in 2019. We as an audience know what the second half of their senior year will hold, and there is an added innocence watching the contagious spirit of Oakland’s seniors embrace their final year. As school comes into session, the images of students reintegrated into the classroom settings are contrasted by a radio broadcast speaking to previous teacher protests, closed schools, and budget cuts. There is an immediate line drawn in the sand between the issues surrounding education typically fought for by adults and the children they are fighting for.

With this initial division created, Homeroom begins cleverly breaking down this contrast, introducing the All City Council student union who would be the film’s central focus – primarily its student directors Mica Smith-Dahl and Denilson Garibo. While the documentary is inclusionary of a variety of the schools students, it is the fight from these two individuals that inspires and resonates in Homeroom. Early on, they are shown conducting meetings on the school’s campus, inclusionary and contemplative on what they as students can do to affect the decisions surrounding their education.

At this time, the district is facing massive budget cuts that threaten the programs and student counseling the students desperately need. As more and more is shaved from the educational offerings, there is a cry for the removal of the Oakland police force within the schools. With a 2.5 million a year budget, they are zeroed in on by many as the central issue.

As the days and months pass in Homeroom, milestones of high school are used to mark the passing of time. College application submissions, talk of SAT scores and cherished school rallies make the transition from September to December. As the first half of the year draws to a close, both successes and failures find our students – leaving resilience and determination in its wake.

Listen to the Youth

As the film moves into January, the milestone marking the passage of time no longer encompasses high school but rather 2020. From the impeachment of Donald Trump to coronavirus, the film begins to take on a new feel as the inevitable comes closer and closer. With a school production of In the Heights and senior portraits one of the last few moments of a traditional school and senior year present, the announcement comes over the loudspeaker initiating the start of virtual learning, zoom frames, and social media content filling the screen. In an instant, the world is thrown into the virtual.

But Homeroom does not focus completely on the virtual challenges these students faced in their senior year, rather pushing forward to the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd – and the subsequent riots and protests that would follow. As Denilson and Mica continue meetings with the school board regarding the removal of police from their schools, their fight is mirrored in both their community and nationwide.

It is an emotional perspective to view the happenings of 2020 through the eyes of the youth, not only to see the world in their shoes but through the activism, they are willing to undertake. As students lead protests to the mayor’s home,  their actions ripple outward to the community proving that the voices of the young are stronger than ever – and we need to listen.

The Next Generation Holds the Future…

…literally, in the palm of their hands. The inclusion of social media in the lives of the youth is heavily showcased from start to finish. Homeroom embraces the content, Nicks clearly understanding the power and reach it wields. While the film focuses on the power of change delivered by the youth, it also quietly examines the effects of social media adding a layered depth to the film.

Right from the very beginning, footage of students returning to school is intercut with images of their social media content and viewing the content of others, displaying how deeply ingrained in daily life the technology has become. Before leaving for school, videos are made of what they are wearing, the ride to campus and trending dances fill the screen, and their phones, Instagram threads are constantly scrolled through. It is every part of their lives as the air they breathe.

As the debate for the removal of police heats up, so too does the content viewed on their phones. Shocking videos of school police takedowns of students are instantly shared and viewed. No longer is this an “our school” problem, but one shared by many. As others stand up to say enough, the empowerment is instantly felt and accepted with the click of a screen.

As the events of 2020 begin to unfold, this is further enforced by the news of Trump’s impeachment instantly known, fear of murder hornets mentioned, and the misinformation surrounding the early days of Covid-19 opening a platform for discussion. As the Black Lives Matter movement takes to the streets, once again social media is utilized to enforce not only the scale of the movement but the inclusivity. Videos are captured and shared, informing and further empowering, gathering the masses together to call for justice. For the students of Oakland, it further gives them the empowerment to not ask, but demand the removal of police from their schools.

Conclusion: Homeroom

Homeroom is an effective and impactful documentary that traces the final year of Oakland’s 2020 graduating class. Through its cinematic lens, it captures the resilience and the determination of the students it follows, further heightening the need to listen our youth. It is empowering and it is inspiring, bringing a fresh perspective to the events of 2020 and to the future.

Have you seen Homeroom? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Homeroom is now streaming on Hulu.

Watch Homeroom